How Thoreau's Walden Pond Mixed with the Ganges and Yoga Came to America with Swami Vivekananda

knew to do was to “go fishing.” He meant that I go out onto the river of life
both literally and figuratively, without a necessity to catch a single fish, gaze at
the flowing water before me and feel out to infinity, vanishing all concern in
boundless meditation, and only then open up my lure box of accumulated
thoughts, wishes and desires, select one that caught my fancy, tie it to the
fishing line of consideration, cast out into the flowing waters of possibility and see
what fish, if any, rises to the bait, saying, “Yes!” Fuller emphasized the importance
of consideration and the necessity of taking time to engage it. That is why he
suggested I “go fishing.” I would benefit from a better sense of Reality and might
recognize the great mystery and power of God. We are living in the midst of an
endless ocean, an intelligent force far beyond our comprehension, which affects
the smallest things we do. Our control of life is limited and yet interconnected . . .
like a fish rising to the bait, everything is a sign of spontaneous grace. Without
such appreciation our lives are like cartoon characters, who have run off the edge
of a cliff and even though out in the middle of space, continue to run for a while,
before realizing where they truly are: falling to a certain death. When we “go
fishing,” we become aware of the infinite miracle in which we exist and notice a
fish always rises, not always when we want it, but always on time.
According to Joseph Campbell we can tell the dominant theme of a culture by
its tallest building when we come into town. In the West today, in nearly every
major city, the highest building is some sort of financial or business tower. It looms
over the city, glorifying money, competition, expertise, technology, success and the
triumph of individual will.
In most of India it is the religious temple that rises above all others, (except in
the more westernized cities). Where I live in rural South India, a huge stone Shiva
temple is higher than any other building in town and is a great living center of
devotion. A different God is worshiped here and the fundamental metaphor by
which people understand their lives is not business, finance or money, but rather
the sacrificial nature of life, mutual gifting, inescapable obligation to others, the
tremendous power of karma, inexorable natural laws, the necessity of cooperation
with nature and the cannot-do-without support of community. These temples
were built to glorify the nature of all and everything and dedicated to a particular
96